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NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia
NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia was a professional wrestling show and WWE Network event in the NXT TakeOver series that took place on January 27, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event was produced by WWE for its NXT brand and it was streamed live on the WWE Network. Event summary Ember Moon vs Shayna Baszler Ember Moon overcame Shayna Baszler to retain her NXT Women’s Championship, but the titleholder couldn’t escape a sickening post-match attack from The Queen of Spades. Baszler arrived in NXT just weeks ago, but immediately made her commanding presence felt when she attacked Kairi Sane from behind. Since then, Baszler has bullied her way around NXT and her NXT Women’s Title Match against Moon was no different. Moon landed the first big blow via a head-first dive through the ropes, taking out Baszler outside the ring. The Queen of Spades took control of the contest from there, targeting Moon’s left arm. The callous Baszler stepped on Moon’s left hand before ruthlessly stomping on the champion’s arm just like Baszler’s assault on Dakota Kai two weeks prior. Baszler proceeded to target Moon’s left arm throughout the match with various submission holds, but The NXT War Goddess would rise above her challenger’s attack. Standing on the top rope, Moon hit her challenger with the Eclipse, but couldn’t take advantage due to her injured left arm. Medical personnel were called to the ring to check on Moon, who refused to stop the match. As Moon went to pick Baszler up off the mat, the former MMA fighter locked in a devastating armbar on the champion. Moon somehow managed to get her foot on the rope to break the hold, but Baszler continued to work Moon’s left arm. Suddenly out of nowhere, as Baszler continued to lock in a submission, Moon used her weight to pin Baszler’s shoulders to the mat and pick up the stunning victory. After the contest, an irate Queen of Spades jumped Moon from behind, locking her in the Kirifuda Clutch. WWE officials tried to pull Baszler off, but the unforgiving Baszler locked the hold on once more before leaving the champion laid out on the entrance ramp. Andrade “Cien” Almas vs Johnny Gargano NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas may have left Philadelphia with his coveted championship in tow, but it took the fight of his life to stave off a relentless Johnny Gargano. El Idolo and Johnny Wrestling both lived up to their sterling in-ring reputations, putting on an early Match of the Year candidate. With his family watching at ringside – including his wife and new NXT signee Candice LeRae – Gargano was razor-focused early on. The NXT Champion matched his challenger’s intensity though, as both in-ring technicians used the match’s beginning stages to test the waters. The pace of this main event clash quickly reached a fevered pace that refused to slow down until the final moment as champion and challenger went back-and-forth, exchanging one spectacular maneuver after another. The NXT Universe in Philadelphia stood in appreciation, chanting “NXT!” as Almas and Gargano traded an extraordinary exchange of moves that you had to see to believe. The challenger had momentum on his side and the champion on his heels as the crowd rose to their feet. With Gargano standing in the corner, readying for a potential finishing blow, Zelina Vega reached out and tried to grab Gargano’s foot. The move from Almas’ business manager distracted Gargano long enough for the titleholder to kick him into the turnbuckle. Almas later delivered a potential knockout blow when he delivered a double foot stomp onto Garagno as the Cleveland native hung from the top turnbuckle outside the ring. Almas doubled and tripled down on his assault, slamming Gargano’s back against the side of the ring. Almas then stormed ahead, hitting his challenger with a double knee strike in the corner. But, alas, it was not enough to keep giant-hearted Gargano down for the three-count. Both men somehow forged on in this marathon battle, with Johnny Wrestling locking in his Gargano Escape submission move. It looked as though this could be the moment Gargano had been waiting his entire life for, but Vega once again inserted herself into the match by pulling her client’s arm over to the rope. Adding insult to injury, as the referee admonished Vega, the champion raked Gargano’s eyes. With Gargano putting on his best “Rocky” impression and fighting until he had nothing left, Vega pounced once again, hitting the challenger with a hurricanrana that sent him face-first into the steel steps outside the ring. The NXT Champion then delivered his trademark hammerlock DDT back inside the ring, but somehow Gargano kicked out at two. Gargano rolled to the outside as Vega raced to level another assault. This time, however, LeRae had seen enough, jumping the barrier to cut Vega off with a takedown to the ground. The NXT Universe roared in approval as LeRae unleashed a fury of punches on Vega who LeRae chased through the crowd. This epic NXT Championship Match had reached complete bedlam. Back in the ring, Gargano hit a slingshot DDT on Almas, but the champion showed his own jaw-dropping resilience by kicking out. After managing to reach the ropes and break the Gargano Escape submission, Almas went on the offensive once again by hitting his opponent with a double knee strike against the ring post. The referee checked on Gargano as the NXT announce team speculated that the referee may need stop the match. Almas didn’t wait, hanging Gargano’s legs up on the top rope, hitting his hammerlock DDT back inside the ring for the pinfall. This five-star NXT Championship Match had come to an end with Almas reigning supreme. Following the heartbreaking loss, Gargano and LeRae stood at the top of the entrance ramp, taking in the crowd’s roaring approval. Just as TakeOver: Philadelphia was about to go off the air, out of nowhere, Tommaso Ciampa nailed his former best friend and #DIY tag team partner with his crutch. As Gargano lay battered and beaten on the ramp, Ciampa stared coldly with a heartless gaze. Results * Singles match for the NXT Women's Championship: Ember Moon © defeated Shayna Baszler * Singles match for the NXT Championship: Andrade "Cien" Almas © (with Zelina Vega) defeated Johnny Gargano Other on-screen talent * Pre-show panel: Charly Caruso Image gallery 059_NXT_01272018dg_5225--657c37339a402252be8ffd90a1e03ad9.jpg 060_NXT_01272018dg_5282--6fa752f20af0976db9f6f5726fa62a1f.jpg 061_NXT_01272018dg_5340--0d3e8aa75ef74d8b71aa4401a598137d.jpg 063_NXT_01272018dg_5371--2f0736eb6b50ef8c2b962bef07da7cb2.jpg 064_NXT_01272018dg_5381--0fcce1569710191b3e6688f19ddd2763.jpg 065_NXT_01272018jg_1609--e7a72d5deeaa0a05716d45a6a918fee5.jpg 066_NXT_01272018ej_4984--d7c599773c8ab4b591443a3fc1a345d2.jpg 067_NXT_01272018dg_5495--2afe8419dcd38a35c931ea9d54e9c573.jpg 068_NXT_01272018ej_4997--3e2b11a908e2989f5eaf05ed76469139.jpg 069_NXT_01272018jg_1626--e7d26c967b74ff62ec73354bdf450d95.jpg 070_NXT_01272018ej_5005--c7e2b5eca7501bb5c94bcd6732650341.jpg 071_NXT_01272018dg_5523--56c38deaa412db6e8b4de93e02d51153.jpg 072_NXT_01272018ej_5020--68a039e685a601637a3ad351f6f3de2c.jpg 073_NXT_01272018jg_1644--f96b5e7f6a653d7ac486b5a6296cf020.jpg 074_NXT_01272018dg_5534--722088e2bb588535eb68a27b1972b00c.jpg 077_NXT_01272018ej_5060--bcea2bfd7f083bef3408e37f7f7ed235.jpg 078_NXT_01272018ej_5153--324dc4ceb20c6e93861bc87b85104fe9.jpg 079_NXT_01272018ej_5074--560b520a71b1e39c1c898e1cbe5da4ca.jpg 081_NXT_01272018dg_5597--7de18418af251e675eba85b9fbcbc401.jpg 082_NXT_01272018dg_5908--95d84283bf927a6b0205622f941e64fa.jpg 083_NXT_01272018dg_5641--e9c1d6950e8b05230067814d97674683.jpg 084_NXT_01272018dg_5651--9ff7f08421fc2dec52840fea673df656.jpg 085_NXT_01272018dg_5723--73a9a77f895f32f5edbf3a02c4e304d1.jpg 086_NXT_01272018dg_5706--60a49e852c7f338b084b138c82406f47.jpg Media Category:2018 NXT pay-per-view events Category:NXT special events Category:Ember Moon Category:Shayna Baszler Category:Zelina Vega Category:Candice LeRae Category:Charly Caruso